Thursday, March 22, 2007

A Quick Look at the Countertops

Thursday, March 22, 2006We're going to Chicago this weekend for a quick visit to Elizabeth, who is just finishing her OB-GYN rotation and has a little time on her hands. She has ruled out being a gynecologist, by the way, and wonders why I never told her that childbirth was so disgusting and traumatic. Anyway, I wanted to get a few pictures of the new countertops posted for those people who have been following the progress of the kitchen. Our kitchen plan specified remnant granite, which is about as green as you can get in the granite area. Somebody else buys the big slabs of granite and has them shipped from India or someplace exotic, and the remaining small pieces are up for grabs. This has the advantage of being cheaper and the disadvantage of allowing for considerably less selection. Michael periodically visited the stone places waiting for just the right thing. Finally, he said he'd found it, but it was they. That is, there were three pieces of granite that he liked: one for each wall.I was dubious. I had never seen this done before. I reverted to my three-year-old self and extracted a promise from Adam that I would like it. Although my more mature self understands that such a promise may not be binding, it comforts me, and after Adam promised, perhaps recognizing that a promise is not the same thing as a contract and is unlikely to lead to litigation, I stopped worrying about it.Well, now that they're in, I don't see what the fuss is about. It's more interesting than having just one color throughout the whole kitchen, and the three different colors complement each other beautifully.The darkest color ("Black Forest") is on the wall where the stovetop will be.These pictures don't really do the colors justice--this is a deep black with hints of blue and with silver striations.The next wall, with the sink, which also got installed, is a brown that picks up the black from the adjoining countertop.The east wall has "Cashmere Gold" (Or "Kashmir Gold") countertops: pale brown with rosy gold. I think it will be very dramatic when the morning sun lights it up.These pictures don't really do the colors justice. There is a big sign on the granite warning not to touch or place anything on the surface. Whenever I walk into the room, I have to slap my hand down so I don't touch anything; it's a very touchable surface.

I've not heard of this green option before. It looks good together. At a museum in Oxford (Museum of Natural Sciences)the building inside is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful things they did was to use all different stones and marbles in Great Britain in the stairways, pillars and balustrades. The effect is stunning. Have a good week end away in Chicago!You really should have told her about childbirth, Marie!